The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has released a Marine Guidance Note, MGN 474(M), stating that superyacht crew working on UK-flagged vessels that do not comply with the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC), must be provided with a Seafarer Employment Agreement (SEA) in place of their crew agreements.

Prior to this, SEAs were only required for superyacht crew working on MLC-compliant vessels.

Furthermore, the MCA will no longer produce the documentation required for these agreements. MGN 474 states that in future it will instead be necessary for ‘shipowners / employers to produce such documentation themselves or arrange for its production.’ Detailed information pertaining to necessary facets of the crew agreements is provided by the MCA.

Guidance is also offered on what the MCA terms “non-standard crew agreements”, such as those provided by employers who do not wish to offer their crew the standard version of a crew agreement, or would like to offer a modified version. These are required to be submitted to the MCA no less than 28 days before the agreement is intended to begin.

Legalities surrounding ‘indefinite crew agreements’ are also noted. These agreements must contain information such as the frequency at which wages are to be paid, the method of calculating leave entitlement, and the notice period required from each party regarding employment termination.

The move highlights the MCA’s desire for raised levels of professionalism within the industry.